Re: Role of a DBA -- what servers should he administer

Hemant K Chitale wrote:
>
> A question has arisen as to whether the Oracle DBA
> should also be handling application servers which
> talk to the database.
> Should the DBA also be in charge of
> a. Installing
> b. Configuring
> c. Maintaining
> d. Startups and Shutdowns
> of "application servers" like
> i. Apache Web Server, including SSL configuration
> ii. JRun
> iii. Oracle 9iAS
> iv. Oracle iFS
> v. Oracle Portal services (in 9iAS)
> vi. Oracle Discoverer services (in 9iAS)
> vii. Any othes (eg. PTC's Windchill, InfoEngine etc)
>
> The opinion has been raised that the DBA must only
> handle the Database. He must not handle "application servers"
> (like the above).
>
> In my opinion, the DBA must extend his scope beyond
> the database alone. Any application/web server component
> (whether from Oracle Corporation or not) that continuously
> communicates with the Database (and more so particularly
> if it is on the same server / grouping of servers as the Database)
> should be handled by the DBA. Why
> 1. Scheduling downtime for maintenance and executing
> steps to shutdown and restart is easier if one person
> handles all the services
> 2. Debugging of problems ("where is the error ?", "what caused
> the error" ?) requires both the database server and application
> server
> 3. Performance review and tuning applies in both areas
> (including the underlying network, represented by SQLNet).
>
> Unix and NT administration is already being done by seperate
> persons. Should the DBA relinquish such "application servers"
> as listed above ? Particularly, if he is asked to relinquish them
> to the "Business Systems" group which handles identification
> of new application requirements, installation of applications
> by vendors, implementation of applications and development
> of customisations by contractors.
>
> What's your opinion ? What is the practice in other large
> IT departments ?
>
> Hemant
> Hemant K Chitale

IMHO, the definition of a DBA is the person responsible for ensuring availability of the data to the end user community. This includes being the last stop source of information in regards to components (RDBMS kernel, toolsapplication servers, etc.). Because a DBA is responsible for all that pertains to Oracle, if there is a problem, it will be your butt that is on the line. If the DBA is not to "handle" application servers, then the question of "who is responsible, and the last authority" for patches to either (RDBMS and/or application servers) lingers. This can (and will) cause finger pointing in the event of a problem, and database inavailability.

I have personnaly been witness to, and a part of, Unix System Admins who patch the OS without consulting the DBA (me). In one case, the DBMS had an issue coming up (whew!), and the OS upgrade needed to be rolled back. But in another (one I was not a part of - thank God!), the instance was corrupted, and the company lost several weeks due to sown time/investigation and rebuilding.

The moral of the story - be strong and don't be politically stampeded into giving away your power as a DBA. That is why we make the big $, work the crappy hours, and in general make things smooth for the corporate talking heads.

-- 
Ron Reidy
Oracle DBA